Nick Hern Books

NHB plays nominated at the Olivier Awards 2026: Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Inter Alia by Suzie Miller, 1536 by Ava Pickett, Here We Are by Stephen Sondheim and David Ives, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce and Passenger, Stereophonic by David Adjmi, Miss Myrtle’s Garden by Danny James King, The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs by Iman Qureshi, The Boy at the Back of the Class adapted by Nick Ahad, Guess How Much I Love You? By Luke Norris, and Weather Girl by Brian Watkins.

Congratulations to the twelve NHB-published plays nominated at this year's Olivier Awards! 🤩

With 35 nominations overall, we are very proud to publish these fantastic plays.

See the full round-up of nominations for NHB plays here: www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/into-the-woo...

Playscript open in front of shelves full of playscripts.

Your annual reminder: playscripts are books, too. Happy #WorldBookDay!

Production 📸 by Johan Persson.

Top photo: Elizabeth Dulau in Bird Grove at the Hampstead Theatre, London. Photo by Johan Persson. Bottom photo: Playscript cover of Bird Grove by Alexi Kaye Campbell.

'Quietly scorching'
★★★★ London Theatre

'Brilliant... painful and gripping'
★★★★★ Theatre Cat

Bird Grove by NHB author Alexi Kaye Campbell is now on at Hampstead Theatre, London.

Get your playscript copy at the venue or online: www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/bird-grove

Production 📸 by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.

Top photo: George Naylor in It Walks Around the House at Night Minerva Theatre, Chichester, touring the UK. Photo by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan. Bottom photo: Playscript cover of It Walks Around The House At Night & Jurassic by Tim Foley.

'Utterly unforgettable'
★★★★★ Theatre & Tonic

'Extraordinary'
★★★★★ Theatre South East

It Walks Around The House At Night by NHB author Tim Foley is now touring the UK @thickskintheatre.bsky.social.

Get your playscript copy at venues on tour or online: nickhernbooks.co.uk/it-walks-aro...

Photo featuring Stage Combat: Armed (Rapier and Dagger) by Roger Bartlett.

Out now – Stage Combat: Armed (Rapier and Dagger)

Everything you need to know in order to safely create and portray effective armed stage fights. Written by a Master Teacher and Examiner at The British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat.

Get your copy now: www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/stage-combat...

Production 📸 by Tristram Kenton.

Top photo: Mark Addy and Noah Mullins in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry at Theatre Royal Haymarket in London's West End. Photo by Tristram Kenton. Bottom photo: Playscript cover of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce and Passenger.

'Gut-wrenchingly gorgeous'
★★★★ Radio Times

'Heart-warming'
★★★★ Telegraph

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by NHB authors Rachel Joyce and Passenger is on at Theatre Royal Haymarket in London's West End.

Get your playscript copy at the venue or online:
nickhernbooks.co.uk/the-unlikely...

Production 📸 by Steve Ullathorne.

Top photo: Henry Naylor in Monstering the Rocketman at the Arcola Theatre, London. Photo by Steve Ullathorne. Top photo: Playscript cover of Monstering the Rocketman by Henry Naylor.

'Excellent... Naylor is a raconteur'
★★★★ Everything Theatre

'Resonates powerfully'
★★★★★ A Young(ish) Perspective

Monstering the Rocketman by NHB author Henry Naylor is now on @arcolatheatre.bsky.social.

Get your playscript copy at the venue or online: nickhernbooks.co.uk/monstering-t...

Production 📸 by Manuel Harlan.

Top photo: Ben Daniels in Man and Boy at the National Theatre. Photo by Manuel Harlan. Bottom photo: Playscript cover of Man and Boy by Terence Rattigan.

'Remarkable... an extraordinary couple of hours of theatre'
★★★★★ Time Out

'Utterly compelling'
★★★★ WhatsOnStage

Man and Boy by NHB author Terence Rattigan is now on @nationaltheatre.org.uk.

Get your playscript copy at the venue or online: nickhernbooks.co.uk/man-and-boy

Production 📸 by Nobby Clark.

Top photo: Lisa Dillon and Will Keen in Dance of Death at the Orange Tree Theatre. Photo by Nobby Clark. Bottom photo: Playscript cover of Dance of Death adapted by Richard Eyre, from August Strindberg.

'A dramatic masterpiece'
★★★★ The Times

'Not to be missed'
★★★★ Guardian

Dance of Death adapted by NHB author Richard Eyre, from August Strindberg is now on @orangetreetheatre.bsky.social.

Get your playscript copy at the venue or online: nickhernbooks.co.uk/dance-of-death

Production 📸 by Ross Kernahan.

Top photo: Safiyya Ingar, Sam Baker Jones, and Marcia Lecky in Maggots at the Bush Theatre, London. Photo by Ross Kernahan. Bottom photo: Playscript cover of Maggots by Farah Najib.

'Timely and deeply relevant'
★★★★★ All That Dazzles

'An engrossing story cleverly told'
★★★★ WhatsOnStage

Maggots by NHB author Farah Najib is now on @bushtheatre.bsky.social.

Get your playscript copy at the venue or online: nickhernbooks.co.uk/maggots

Production 📸 by Johan Persson.

Top photo: Rosie Sheehy and Robert Aramayo in Guess How Much I Love You? at the Royal Court Theatre, London. Photo by Johan Persson. Bottom photo: Playscript cover of Guess How Much I Love You? by Luke Norris.

'Harrowingly powerful'
★★★★ London Standard

'Superbly written... a play illuminated by love'
★★★★ WhatsOnStage

Guess How Much I Love You? by NHB author Luke Norris is now on @royalcourt.bsky.social.

Get your playscript copy at the venue or online: nickhernbooks.co.uk/guess-how-mu...

Adolescence: The Scripts Adolescence: The Scripts; The complete scripts of the acclaimed Netflix television series, with additional commentary from the show's creators, colour photographs and contextual essays.

We're proud to publish the complete scripts of Adolescence, one of the most urgent and talked-about television series of recent times:

Golden Globes 2026 Winner: Adolescence by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham.

Adolescence won four Golden Globes this weekend including Best Television Limited Series! 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆

A huge congratulations to NHB authors Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, and the whole Adolescence team on this enormous achievement.

📸 by Alex Brenner

Picture of Nick Hern holding his The Stage Awards 2026 Judges' Award. Photo by Alex Brenner.

We're overjoyed that our Founder, Nick Hern, has been recognised with the Judges' Award at this year's #TheStageAwards, for his fifty-years-plus contribution to the performing arts industry.

Learn more: www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/nick-hern-wi...

Production 📸 by Marc Brenner.

Top photo: George Blagden in A Ghost in Your Ear at the Hampstead Theatre, London. Photo by Marc Brenner. Bottom photo: Playscript cover of A Ghost In Your Ear by Jamie Armitage.

'Very creepy... devastatingly effective'
★★★★ London Standard

'Absolutely outstanding'
★★★★★ All That Dazzles

A Ghost In Your Ear by NHB author Jamie Armitage is now on at Hampstead Theatre, London.

Get your playscript copy at the venue or online: www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/a-ghost-in-y...

Managing Your Money: The Essential Guide for Actors and Creative Freelancers by Jon Harris.

Out now – Managing Your Money: The Essential Guide for Actors and Creative Freelancers by Jon Harris.

A practical and accessible guide to managing your finances and completing your tax return – so you can focus on your creative work.

Get your copy now: www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/managing-you...

Production 📸 by Johan Persson.

Top photo: Chumisa Dornford-May in Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre, London. Photo by Johan Persson. Bottom photo: Playscript cover of Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine.

'Sondheim at its best, a five-star triumph'
★★★★★ The Times

'The work of a genius'
★★★★★ Time Out

Into the Woods by NHB authors Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine is now on @bridgetheatre.bsky.social.

Get your playscript copy at the venue or online: www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/into-the-woo...

Nominated at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2026: Born With Teeth, Clarkston, Inter Alia, Stereophonic, The Seagull, Intimate Apparel, The Last Stand of Mrs. Mary Whitehouse, The Red Shoes and Here We Are.

We are very proud to publish four of the plays nominated for Best New Play at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2026!

🏆 Born With Teeth
🏆 Clarkston
🏆 Inter Alia
🏆 Stereophonic

Plus, a further five NHB titles are up for prizes:
www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/nhb-plays-no...

Nick Hern Books 2026 play selection featuring seventy-eight new plays, three play collections and a screenplay.

What a year!

Our final count for 2025 stands at seventy-eight new plays, three play collections and a screenplay.

We're so proud of this year's selection of blazing, astute and enthralling plays and to have welcomed over forty new playwrights to our list.